Chapter 8
MADDOX
Iordered my coffee to go and went to the flower shop to order a bouquet for Sofia and one for Eve. I didn't know what color Eve was wearing, so I bought white for both of them. Then I headed home to shower and dig my suit out of the back of my closet.
I carefully avoided the one I'd worn to Marla's funeral. I wasn't sure I'd ever wear that one again. The one I chose, I reserved for interviews and holiday parties.
The thought of going on a date, even if it was prearranged, made me feel off-kilter. I wasn't supposed to be dating again so soon, if ever. What would everyone else think?
Eve sent me pictures of Sofia's hair, but not the full picture of her in her dress. When I asked, she said I'd have to wait to see her in person.
I went back and forth from guilt to excitement. I reminded myself that this night was for Sofia. She deserved an evening where she could just let go and have fun.
Vowing not to worry about what anyone else would think, I got dressed and grabbed my keys. Then I drove to Christmas Town for the second time. It was weird to be home and not have Sofia filling up the silence with her chatter and questions. But it was nice to have some time to myself.
The only problem was, it gave me too much time to think about what I was doing. I shouldn't be looking forward to seeing how Eve looked in a gown or whether she'd feel like this was a real date.
Feeling off, and very much like the grump Frank accused me of being, I parked the truck and followed the other partygoers into the inn. There was a sign in the lobby indicating that we should go down the hall to the ballroom. But Eve told me to meet them at the bottom of the grand staircase.
I texted her to let her know that I was sitting in the great room to avoid the steady stream of people walking by. I set the flowers next to me on the couch and scrolled mindlessly on my phone, not really reading anything.
"Maddox. Why are you here and not in the ballroom?"
I lifted my head to find Frank and his wife, Sharon. Standing, I held out my hand to him. "I'm waiting on my dates."
He raised a brow.
"Eve and Sofia."
"Did Sofia do the princess package? I saw that online and thought it was a cute idea," Sharon said.
I nodded. "I'm not allowed to see the full look until they come down the stairs."
"How sweet," Sharon said with a smile.
"I'm glad to see you have a date tonight, Maddox."
I raised a brow. "You arranged it for me."
Frank leveled me with a knowing look. "I wasn't sure if you'd go along with it. I'm glad to see that you did."
I skipped over his comment. "Eve did a great job with the event. I think you'll be pleased."
"She really came through for us. We would have had to cancel if we didn't find a hall in time," Frank said.
Sharon gestured with her hands. "It's not just a hall. It's a historic inn with a ballroom. I hope we can host the party here every year."
"Well, Eve is doing us a favor. We didn't have to pay for the space."
Frank nodded. "In exchange for a few fire trucks in the parade. Speaking of which, we need someone to be Santa."
My jaw tightened as my phone buzzed with a message. "Eve is on her way down. I need to wait for her."
"How romantic," Sharon murmured, and Frank said, "We'll see you inside."
I waited for them to head down the hall before moving closer to the stairs.
Frank seemed pleased with me and the party. After tonight, I could breathe easy, knowing that I was in line for the promotion. I'd done everything he'd asked of me. I was meeting with the therapist, trying to be less grumpy, and hosting the party for the department.
Now, I just had to be a good date tonight and show Frank that I'd truly changed. I wasn't the grieving widower or, at least, not in public. I could be the fire chief the department needed.
I held the flowers in one hand, my phone in the other.
Eve appeared on the landing, a proud smile on her face. She wore a red dress that hugged her curves, her hair in an elaborate updo with some kind of flower entwined in the strands. I forced myself to look at Sofia, who walked down the steps next to her.
She truly looked like a princess. I lifted my phone and snapped a picture of the two of them, knowing I'd look at it later and wonder how lucky I was. For one evening, I had these two girls on my arm.
"You look beautiful," I handed the bouquet to Sofia when she was on the last step.
She held it to her chest and asked, "Do I look like a princess?"
I chuckled. "A beautiful princess."
Eve stood next to me. "I'll forward you her pictures from the photo shoot as soon as they're edited. They turned out great."
"These are for you." The florist had bundled the flowers together with a white ribbon.
Eve lowered her face to smell them. "These are gorgeous. Thank you."
I offered my arm to both girls, walking between them as we entered the ballroom. It was already crowded with guests.
Sofia ran off as soon as she saw other kids she knew, and I was alone with Eve.
"You look beautiful too," I said to her.
"Thank you." Her cheeks flushed. "Have you seen Frank yet?"
"He's with his wife by the bar." I waved a hand in their direction.
She started moving toward them. "Can we say hello? I want to thank him for everything."
"Of course." I fell in step with her and introduced her to Sharon.
"I think this might be the best holiday party we've ever had," Sharon said, her voice filled with awe.
"I'm so glad. We wanted to make it special."
"We usually have it in a rental hall, since the department doesn't have a hall of its own. But this is so much better."
"You're welcome to host it here every year if you'd like," Eve said graciously.
"We might take you up on that," Frank said.
"You two should dance," Sharon prodded us, and I held my hand out to Eve, who took it.
I easily maneuvered her onto the dance floor.
"Are we playing a part?" Eve murmured.
I felt Frank and Sharon watching us. "I think so."
She looked up at me. "Frank wants the best for you."
"I want him to feel confident that I can be the next fire chief. That I'll do a good job. I know I need to be better."
I turned us so that we couldn't see Frank and Sharon anymore.
"You will do a great job as fire chief."
I glanced down at her. "We barely know each other. How can you possibly know that?"
Eve shrugged. "Because you want it, and you'll do anything to get it. You're here with me, aren't you? I'm sure the last thing you wanted to do was bring a date who wasn't your daughter to the party."
"You got that right," I said without thinking.
Eve flinched but recovered before I could soften my statement. "By the end of the night, Frank will know that you're the right man for the job."
I let out a breath, the tension easing slightly. "I hope you're right."
"Oh, my God, is that my sister? What's she doing here?"
I followed her gaze to the edge of the dance floor where Natasha stood next to one of the Sterling brothers.
Eve dropped her hands and headed toward them. "Natasha, what are you doing here?"
"Ford wanted to see what the ball was all about." Natasha's gaze moved from Eve to me. "What are you doing here?"
"When I went to the firehouse to ask them to be in the parade, the chief said Maddox was in line for his position and needed a date to the party."
"In order for the fire department to drive their trucks in the parade, we needed to host their holiday party, and you had to bring a firefighter as your date?"
"Not just any firefighter," I interjected, shaking Natasha's hand, and then Ford's.
"Ford Sterling. Nice to meet you."
"Maddox Knight." I glanced over at the bar where Frank was talking to some of the other guys in my department. "Chief thought it would look better if I was dating someone. Make me look more stable or something like that."
"Huh," Ford said.
Eve rolled her eyes. "I'm being fixed up with firefighters now. But we have firetrucks in the parade."
It was a good reminder that Eve was doing this for another reason, to get what she wanted. She wasn't interested in a real date with me. This was part of the deal we'd made.
"Do you have a Santa for the firetruck?" Natasha asked me.
I cringed because I didn't want that role.
"We're still working on that. I think because I brought him as my date, he should be Santa."
"I'm supposed to be the next fire chief. I'll look ridiculous in a Santa suit."
"It will endear you to the community and the children," Eve said.
"I get along just fine."
Eve placed her hands on her hips. "Your boss doesn't seem to think so. He said you needed to revamp your image with the public."
I waved a hand. "I'm nice."
Eve gave me a look.
"I think I need another drink," Natasha said.
"I want to know what's going on with you two," Eve said to her sister. "But I'm hosting this shindig."
I offered Eve a hand. "I think we're supposed to be dancing and looking happy."
"I can't be expected to work miracles," Eve mumbled but placed her hand in mine.
I led her onto the dance floor. When we were alone again, I said, "I haven't been as grumpy lately."
She sighed. "I suppose not."
There was a moment where she looked at me, and I thought it felt like she might actually like me, not just see me as a pretend date. The thought made me panic slightly. "But I still don't want to be Santa."
She huffed out a laugh. "Of course you don't."
"Maybe I could be persuaded though."
"Oh, yeah, and how can I do that?"
I twirled her away from me, and when she came back to my arms, I said, "I'm still working on that part."
Eve looked over at Frank. "He's watching us."
"It's good that we look the part." This wasn't a real date. Eve was here out of an obligation. She'd struck a deal to get the fire trucks in her parade, and she always got what she wanted. If I thought of her as someone who worked deals, then I wouldn't be inclined to fall for her.
If I thought about the situation logically, she'd shown up at the fire department in a red dress and with muffins. She wanted to win everyone over, including me. It might not have worked with me then, but it was now.
She was holding up her part of the bargain so that I could get what I wanted. I couldn't let my heart soften for her. At the end of the day, it was just me and Sofia.
Sofia came over then. "Can I have dessert?"
"In a bit. Why don't you dance with me?" I asked, needing space from Eve before I started getting ideas.
Eve moved off to the side, and Sofia held her hands up to me. I showed her the proper dance position and led her around the floor. A few people smiled at Sofia, probably thinking she was cute.
I wondered if anyone was thinking about Marla not being here, or was it just me? In reality, Sofia and I were very much alone. I didn't have anyone to talk to at the end of the night about my hopes and dreams or my worst fear, that I was screwing everything up.
My gaze lifted, finding Eve watching us. She wasn't looking for a relationship, and I shouldn't be either. Sofia was my top priority. It was hard to remember that when Eve was looking at me like she wanted to take me home at the end of the night.
When the song ended, Sofia led me over to the dessert table to show off her selections to me. I helped her plate a slice of cake and took it to a table for her to eat.
Frank sat with us. "Miss Sofia, you look so pretty today."
"Why, thank you," Sofia said as she took a bite of chocolate, crumbs falling on her skirt.
She might look grown up, but she was still young.
A little girl ran over to Sofia. "Come play with us."
At my nod, she left with her.
"You know, some people on the town council are here tonight, and they're pleased to see you with Eve. They like you together."
"What are you saying, Frank?" Suddenly the space between my shoulder blades was tight with tension.
"It wouldn't hurt if you were seeing Eve for real. It makes you look like you're feeling good and ready to take on the job."
"I'm feeling...better." I couldn't say good.
"I think it has something to do with Eve."
I followed his gaze to Eve, where she was talking to Sofia and a few other girls. I'm sure she was winning them over like she did everyone. She was a princess in her own right.
"You might be right about that."
"She's good for you."
Frank stood, touching my shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I think you'll be the fire chief soon.”
"Thanks, sir."
Frank nodded before walking off, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. He wanted me to keep seeing Eve. Real or pretend, it didn't matter. He wanted the council to think we were together. I could do that. It would be worth it to get what I wanted. I'd make a good fire chief, widower or not.
The question was, could I keep my feelings in check? Sofia wasn't ready for me to date, and I didn't think I was either.
I was worried about how it would look to others if I did start dating, but Frank was telling me that people wanted to see me happy again.
Now I needed to ask Eve if she'd go along with this pretend dating situation for a little bit longer. One date to a party was different than being seen together all the time. It was a big ask. I had a feeling I was going to end up being the Santa on that fire truck whether I liked it or not.